A New Beginning
by Angelwriter84
Summary: Another village has been lost to unseen forces, leaving the villagers and its masters with nothing. On request of the late Head Masters, the masters of the Jade Palace and the citizens of the Valley of Peace team up with the citizens of the lost village to offer them a chance at happiness again. But what will they do when the force returns and threatens the bonds they have formed?
1. Prologue: One Last Mission

**Prologue One Last Mission**

_Mei Lien_

"_Find them…."_

Mei Lien fought against the light slumber that had taken her over at the sound of her master's voice, and then leaned back against the wall when she found herself surrounded by reality. She was no longer in her training hall; she was on a sail boat heading to a strange land. There was no voice because her master was no longer alive; it was just a haunting memory that would stay with her forever. And now, she was the Head Master….not a student, and not just a master. Her students, all masters through hard work and dedication, were not with her….she was alone.

The tiny red panda wrapped her robe tighter around her shoulders against the chilly midnight air and reluctantly peered at her reflection in the calm waters. "Oh…" _This is an embarrassment. _

The reflection in the water hardly reflected her normal self; her normally smooth, white fur was tousled and messy from the journey…her midnight blue eyes were only half open under the droopy eyelids…..her large round ears with their white to red to white pattern were drooping as well, and the pink blossom that was normally tucked neatly behind the left ear had blown off at some point. Her beautiful light blue and purple robe with gold trimming was wrinkled and clung to her due to the dampness in the air.

She didn't look like a respected kung Fu master….but yet….. Despite the tiredness, her deep blue eyes still held the same light in them that every good warrior had. Mei Lien stood up straight and as tall as she could manage. She would make herself look more presentable in no time. She had to….

Just then, the reflection of the sailor she had hired appeared next to her. "Master Mei Lien? We are nearing the Valley of Peace. Shall we maintain our speed?"

He was asking if she needed more time. All this time, she had still not taken her eyes off the reflections in the water. She hardly had the energy. She willed herself to look into the night sky filled with stars. _I have to…. I have to….._

…The destruction was absolute, and the battle had been fierce. All that was left of their beautiful village, the palace, the training hall….rubble, ashes…..it was all gone. Lying in broken heaps and hidden by smoldering ashes. She and her students had gone away on a mission, leaving only the Grand Master of the palace, Master Shi, watching over the valley. They had done this many times before; Master Shi was one of the first, besides the late Grand Master Oogway of the Valley of Peace, to master the art of Kung Fu; therefore, she was one of the very best and was perfectly capable of defending their valley herself.

But something, or someone, had managed to slip by her, and the valley was burning by the time she and her students returned. They immediately leapt into action as soon as their ruined home fell into their sights. They fought, they destroyed the thousands of warriors that had invaded their home, but never found the leader, or the reason why they attacked in the first place.

When everything was still, she watched her students tend to wounds….look for survivors…..paw through the rubble. Only the thought of her master sent her running to the ruins of what was once their home.

"Master Shi?" No answer. Maybe her voice had not come out as steady as she thought, but she began to fear the worst as she ran about the ruins, lifting charred artifacts and pieces of wood.

"Master Shi!" Nothing. "Please answer me!"

_Mei Lien. _Her sensitive ears barely picked up on the voice. "Master Shi?"

"Mei Lien….." She heard it now. The strained whisper of Master Shi was coming from underneath a fallen door that was slanted against the wall. She could just make out the white figure lying still beneath the shadow of the door.

"No!" The little Red Panda ran over to the door with phenomenal speed, jumped, and kicked it high so that it would fall in the opposite direction of the white wolf. The door crumbled to bits when it crashed to the ground.

Mei Lien gasped in panic as she examined her master with wide blue eyes. The once beautiful white wolf was lying under even more rubble; the little red panda could not even see the rest of her body, but Master Shi lay so still that she could tell her wise teacher was a goner. "Master Shi…. No….."

Feeling hot tears stinging her eyes, she made her way through the crumbled remains of the palace and fell to her knees before her master. Despite being half buried under a heap of rubble, the white wolf just smiled the same reassuring smile Mei Lien had always known. "Oh, Mei Lien…." She reached out her free paw to her student.

At the sound of the soft, steady voice of her master, Mei Lien let out a ragged breath and held tight to her master's hand with both of her own as the first of the tears spilled over. She couldn't accept it. No. Not now. This was not how a person like Shi was supposed to die. Not like this. "Hold on, Master Shi. I will get you out of here."

"Mei Lien." The soft, steady hand held fast to hers when she started to pull away. The beautiful red panda looked back at her master with a heavy heart. It seemed Master Shi would never escape the ruins of her palace alive.

Mei Lien looked deep into the brown depths of her master's eyes, and felt her ears turn up when she saw calm peacefulness rather than fear. Master Shi was ready, but she wasn't. The red panda held the great wolf's head in her small hands. "Master Shi, who….who did this? Who attacked our village? Who did this to you?"

"Never mind that, Mei Lien. Listen carefully, now, my old friend. I need you to promise me something."

Mei Lien was just fighting to keep her voice steady. "Anything."

"I need you to set out and find Master Shifu of the Jade Palace. Tell him what's happened, and that I give you my permission….to take the scroll Oogway kept for me in the library. He will…..know what to do from there. The scroll will give the both of you further instructions. Shifu will have a scroll from Oogway as well."

Mei Lien took a moment to register the words; she found herself more overwhelmed by the sound of her master's voice growing quieter and quieter.

"Master Shifu…." Mei Lien muttered the words halfheartedly….thoughtfully trying to recall the name. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.

Shi must have read the look on her face. "He was a student of Oogway's and is now the Head Master of the Jade Palace. Go alone the first time, then take the others with you when you make the next journey. Leave the villagers in the care of your students. Do you understand?"

The only thing that confused Mei Lien was the reasoning. Why not try to rebuild the village? But then again….Master Shi, like Oogway, may have had confusing methods, but she never led them astray. "I….understand…..Master." Mei Lien could just manage the words as she watched the white wolf's eyes begin to set.

"You must…find them, Mei Lien. It may be essential to the survival of…..what's left of our village. Promise me you will seek help, rather than trying to do everything yourself." Master Shi's grip on her hand was getting so weak she barely felt anything at all.

"I will, Master…." Despite her efforts, the little red panda's voice cracked as a quiet, powerful sob escaped her body. "I don't know what we will do without you, Master…..I….." There wasn't enough time in the day for her to express all she and Shi had been through, or how much she would miss her. All she had was the look in her eyes.

Master Shi understood and smiled as best as she could. "I know, but my time has come as well, Mei Lien. You must go on without me…..and believe in yourself."

Before Mei Lien could summon the strength to give a response, a light shone from beneath the rubble and slowly began to engulf the body of Master Shi. Pink petals replaced the mass of her frame and began floating their way up to the heavens. Mei Lien began to panic at the sight of her master vanishing into a mass of petals. "Master, wait! You can't leave yet….. We don't….have anything to remember you by….or…."

Master Shi's ascent didn't cease. The white wolf just smiled, looking as peaceful as ever. "Every time the wind blows these petals through the air…..look back and….remember me."

And then she was gone. The only thing left of her was memories….and the petals ascending into the sky.

As soon as she was sure she could depart what was left of the village, she took the chance. She left two hundred hungry survivors in the hands of her students with very few suitable places for shelter.

….She had to keep her promise.

"All ahead full, Fu." The chubby pig bowed to her and went about his way.

She looked away from her haggard looking reflection and searched the horizon. She could just make out the Jade Palace sitting atop its hill. She had only seen it once, and it had been a very long time since she had called on an outside village for help. But she had to go through with the mission, for her students….for the villagers…..for Master Shi.

Mei Lien sighed, rolled her eyes when she caught sight of her reflection again, and departed to her room. Soon enough, they would be in the Valley of Peace. She just hoped she could find the answers she needed to save her village.

…**..I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Please review and give me feedback on what you think so far if you have time. Every little bit helps! Thanks for reading and I hope you will keep checking back. I have more stories written if you would like to check some of them out in the meantime. Thanks!**

**-Angelwriter84…..**


	2. Chapter 1: A Message

**Chapter 1**

_Shifu_

The older red panda sighed as he watched Po, the Dragon Warrior, stumble through the training course; hard core definitely wasn't his style….but he had proven himself to be a great warrior in his own special way. But keeping him trained and focused…..that was a challenge.

"AH…HOW…HOW HOW!" Shifu didn't even have to look to see that Po had again been singed by the shooting fire. Within seconds, he could hear the familiar sound of the large panda panting as he dragged his charred body over to Shifu.

Finally, the question Shifu had been anticipating came in a breathless tone. "Ugh…how did I do?"

Shifu sighed, and then decided to make his response simple. "Better."

This answer made Po perk up. "How so?" The panda sounded unconvinced.

"You didn't set off the turning spikes twice." It was something; and with Po, that was where the hope came from.

"Ohhhh….." Po trailed off, realizing his master was right. "YES!" Po shot up in the air. Pumping his fists and forgetting all about his burns. Shifu finally opened his blue eyes to stare at the panda. After a moment of silence, Po voiced a hopeful question gently. "So…are we….done….for the day? Or….."

Shifu turned away and began walking toward the large doors. "We're done for the day."

"Alright, see ya tomorrow." The great panda did little to conceal his excitement as he turned away. "Oh yeah," he spoke in an undertone he probably thought Shifu couldn't hear. "Bean buns, here I come!"

Shifu stifled a chuckle and shook his head as he pulled open the doors to let in the cool, fresh air of early spring. In the distance, he could see Oogway's sacred peach tree beginning to bud, along with the smaller tree Shifu had unintentionally planted during his last talk with the wise old turtle. Sometimes he missed his old master….

The sound of footsteps in the distance interrupted his thoughts. Tigress. Within five minutes, she was standing in front of him. "Master." She greeted him with a bow.

"Tigress? We're finished for the day." Shifu already knew what she was going to ask; if it were up to her, she would never be finished.

"I know….but I was wondering if I could use the training hall to practice on my own."

"Not today. The housekeepers need it empty to clean it for the week. That is why we only trained half a day."

"Oh, right. Well, maybe I can find something to do outside then." The look of disappointment she always had on her face when she thought she needed more training was there. Shifu was proud of how devoted and hardworking his adoptive daughter was. He spoke up when she turned away.

"Maybe you can find someone to do a practice match with you. Monkey wanted to practice with…."

"He's out."

"Oh…" Shifu thought a moment. Most of his students preferred to go out after a half day of training. "Well, maybe Crane could…."

"He's writing, I think. Viper and Mantis are out, too."

"Oh, well then…." An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Po! He is here. Have him do a practice match with you. He needs practice with slapping sticks."

Tigress groaned, making Shifu smile. "It will be learning for him and practice for you. Tell him it's another phase in training I need him to do for the day."

"Yes, Master." Tigress gave another bow. Shifu nodded and turned away. "Do you wish to observe?"

He just continued walking. "No. It's my evening off. I will be able to tell how the two of you did in training tomorrow."

He continued walking to the Sacred Peach Tree, where he liked to sit and think to clear his mind. In the distance, he heard the unmistakable voice of Po yelling out what he thought of having to do another assignment. "AWWW, MAN!" A few minutes later, he could make out the figure of Tigress dragging the large form of Po away from his bean buns.

Shifu chuckled to himself he watched Tigress pull his newest student to the training grounds. A flapping of wings distracted him from the scene below. Zeng. Shifu turned to see what he wanted, slightly annoyed that the head servant was bothering him while he was away from the Jade Palace. He suppressed his temper as he turned, and calmly waited for the skittish bird to convey his message. If Zeng caught a hint of anger from him, it would take all day for him to spit it out.

Zeng bowed timidly as a sign of respect. "Master Shifu, I bring an urgent message."

This got Shifu's full attention. He took the scroll from Zeng and examined the seal. Not recognizing it, he broke it and opened the scroll. "Did they say where it was from?"

"From the Sapphire Palace?" Zane didn't recognize it either, but continued. "It was sent by Master Mei Lien, student of Master Shi."

Shifu felt his eyes widen in astonishment as recognition hit him. "Master Shi…." He whispered the name and instantly began scanning over the scroll. He knew Master Shi from his early training years. He knew she and Oogway were friends and made a promise to aide one another if they ever got into trouble, but they had never had any need to call on one another, each master and their students were perfectly capable of fending for themselves. He wondered what could have happened that the Sapphire Palace would call on them for help.

His heart sank as he read the contents of the scroll. When he had finished reading, he let out a heavy breath. "Thank you, Zeng." He began to walk away, suddenly he felt that if he just sat and thought, he would dwell on his worry; instead, he needed to meditate. "Zeng, get a spare room ready." At Zeng's puzzled expression, he explained his request. "We are expecting a guest soon. Make sure to keep the Palace clean."

"Yes, Master Shifu." When Zeng flew off, another thought sent Shifu heading toward the library. _"She said she had Oogway keep a scroll in the library of the Jade Palace for me, and that there is also a message from Oogway to you. Our only hope is that…they will have the answers we need…."_

Shifu went straight to the section where they kept things for all the Kung Fu masters and their lands and pulled out the two scrolls stored in the section for the Sapphire Palace. One had a similar seal he assumed belonged to Master Shi and the other had the seal of Oogway. He stared at the seal of his master. _A message from Oogway….._

The older red panda reluctantly slid them back into their places and exited the library with his hands behind his back. Now that he had confirmed there _was _a scroll, all that was left to do was….wait. He only hoped the surviving villagers of the Valley of Hope were safe, and that the new Head Master had a safe journey…

_Unknown for now_

"Did the battle go as planned?" The harshness in the sickly sweet voice always made his stomach churn, but he had little to fear.

"Yes, the village is destroyed, but many more of our warriors perished than we thought." He kept his voice as calm and soft as ever. No need to raise it for emotion.

"Hmmm….. good."

"Pardon me, but how is attacking the Valley of Peace going to lead up to Shifu?"

"Oh, trust me, my friend." A sinister chuckle followed the confident statement. "It will. We will both get what we want." The figure was in shadow, but he could see the head turn to reveal glaring yellow eyes.

"I see." That was a lie. "Now what is there to do?"

"My least favorite part." A sweet sigh for dramatic emphasis. "A long period of waiting. Take time off. Go back to your village. I will summon you when you are needed again."

_What? _He couldn't go without questioning this. "Shouldn't we strike again while they are weakened and distracted?"

"No! That will ruin everything. I said you can go." The head of the shadowed figure turned away.

Having nothing left to say, he gave her a bow and went about his way. All he could hope was that she was making the right choice. Soon enough, Shifu would regret crossing him. _Shifu. _The one who had taken everything he had hoped for. The one who had exposed him. He had even found love, and when Shifu made a fool of him, that went away too. But soon, everything would be made right.

He approached his students, who had managed to survive the battle and were waiting outside. "Come. It's time to go home for now." They looked confused, but relieved all the same, and followed him without any questions.

He only hope was that time would pass quickly.

**...I hope you are enjoying it so far and that this was enough to get your attention. I hope to make longer chapters soon, but right now I am just trying to get things started and see if this is a story anyone can relate to. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you for the wonderful review so far and I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and I will try to update soon!...**


End file.
